April 20, 2011

Lebanon's 2010-11 grain imports to reach record level

Lebanon is likely to purchase a record grain volume this season after disease destroyed the country's crops, the UN food body said Tuesday (Apr 19).

Cereal purchases, mainly of wheat, are expected to rise to 846,000 tonnes in 2010-11, 5% above the five-year average, due to an 18% slump in domestic production to 134,000 tonnes, the Food and Agriculture organisation said.

"The poor performance [of the 2010 winter wheat crop] was mainly due to reduced yields following the outbreak of a new and virulent strain of yellow rust," said the FAO's report.

Like many Arab countries, Lebanon is heavily reliant on grain imports to feed its population. Production only covers about 20% of annual demand, the FAO said, leaving the country vulnerable to near record-high world prices.

Still, the FAO said it expects production to pick up in 2011 "following beneficial rainfall in March and April that boosted soil moisture for the wheat and barley crops."